The Power of Winter Hikes With Friends

I remember the first hike I took with friends after going into lockdown. It was January 2021. For nearly a year, I had spent free time with my roommate in our small apartment in the Seattle area, and most of my time outdoors had entailed looping the same neighborhood blocks alone. Recovering from a breakup, nervous about a new job and far away from my family in colder but sunnier Ohio, I spent a lot of time numbing the loneliness and stress with screens.

But as soon as I approached my friends at the trailhead, my spirits lifted. Even while masked and distanced, the once-commonplace ritual of “catching up” felt transformative. The mental exercise of exchanging stories and the joy of laughter — combined with crisp lakeside air, physical movement and the excitement of encountering wildlife — were like sunshine cutting through my mental fog. And I didn’t just feel better during those couple of hours in the park; I felt more clear-headed and energetic in the following week than I had in months.

• Hike Planning Made Easy
• Brainstorming where to hike with friends? With WTA’s Trailblazer app, you can share any hike via text, social media or messaging app with the touch of a button. And thanks to our volunteer developers’ work earlier this year, you can now share trip reports too!

In the years since, I, like many, have happily returned to in-person hangouts. Yet in winter, it’s easy to return to my quarantine ways; the chilly air and drizzle strengthen the gravitational pull of the couch, and I spend a lot of time snuggled up in front of the TV with my partner and cat. That cozy time is an important part of this quiet season. But the darkest days of winter are also when we need time with friends and time outdoors the most.

According to research by Georgetown University clinical professor of psychiatry Dr. Norman Rosenthal, at least one in 20 people in the United States experiences seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and plenty more experience milder “winter blues.” Those affected may feel sluggish, depressed or disinterested in activities they normally enjoy.

“If you feel any identification with a hibernating bear, you might well have SAD,” Rosenthal told NPR’s Life Kit.

Hitting the trail with friends checks many of the boxes researchers have found to help treat and prevent SAD and other mental health challenges:

• Light: Light cues the brain to feel awake — and not getting enough of it is at the heart of SAD. Happy lamps are fantastic, but natural light is still key! So, get outdoors during daylight hours if possible, even if the sky is overcast.
• Movement: Like light, movement tells you that it’s time to be alert, which, in turn, helps your brain know when it’s time to sleep at night. Moving on trail can help boost your energy, reduce tension and kick the blues.
• Social connection: Spending time with a variety of people is closely tied to happiness and a sense of belonging. As social beings, we’re evolved for connection, so being with friends releases “happy chemicals.”
• Stress reduction: Being outdoors helps turn down the “fight, flight or freeze” response that triggers anxiety, in part because natural sights like trees, lakes and animals are easy for our brains to process.

We’re wired to share the experience of being human with others and with the natural world — every season of the year. So schedule a hike with a friend! You never know how much it could mean to your future well-being — and theirs.